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Washington lawmakers move quickly on police deadly force law

Associated Press
Published 5:08 p.m. PT March 6, 2018

Steven Strachan, third from left, executive director of the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, talks to reporters along with Leslie Cushman, left, and Heather Villanueva, second from left, both of De-Escalate Washington.(Photo: Ted S. Warren, AP)

OLYMPIA — Washington lawmakers are moving quickly to pass a compromise measure that supporters say would make it easier to prosecute police who commit wrongful shootings while still protecting those who make honest mistakes.

The deal, announced at a public hearing Tuesday in Olympia, could end years of wrestling over a state law that makes it uniquely difficult for prosecutors to bring charges against officers who commit negligent or reckless shootings, The News Tribune reported.

Prompted by outrage over questionable police shootings in Washington and across the country, activists had gathered signatures for an initiative proposing that the Legislature change the law. It was expected to advance to the ballot in November if lawmakers declined to act on it. But with some changes, influential police and prosecutor groups agreed to support the measure in a deal to keep it off the ballot.

The existing law requires that prosecutors prove officers acted with malice — a hurdle no other state has. Under the new measure, such determinations would consider what a "reasonable officer" might have done under the circumstances.

"Even though it isn't perfect, it is a great outcome," said Steve Strachan, the former Bremerton police chief who is now executive director of the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs.

The measure was advanced unanimously by the House Public Safety Committee Tuesday and a floor vote in the chamber was expected later Tuesday. It was scheduled for a committee vote in the Senate on Wednesday.

Not every police group in the state backs the bill but the Fraternal Order of Police, an influential union of front-line law enforcement officers, and other powerful police organizations are supporting it.

State Rep. Roger Goodman, a Democrat from Kirkland and a key negotiator, said that's enough to get the legislation to Gov. Jay Inslee's desk before the legislative session ends Thursday.

Heather Villanueva, a leader for the I-940 campaign De-Escalate Washington, celebrated the deal, saying it meant it would take effect sooner than if approved by voters in November.

"We want to save lives," she told reporters. "We want to make sure everybody is safer."